


Pretty in Ink

by Anime_or_scifi



Series: Think Ink [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dentist Visit, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Minor Humor, Modern AU, continuation of Think Ink, extra! Eren, feminine! Eren, one shots, punk! levi, tattoo artist! Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-02-02 14:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12728661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anime_or_scifi/pseuds/Anime_or_scifi
Summary: The everyday adventures of Eren and Levi. (A continuation of the fic "Think Ink")





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! I don't know how often I'll post here, there'll only be a few chapters and they'll all be relatively short. Also, each of these take place at different points in the Think Ink timeline. This first chapter takes place somewhere between chapter 21 and 26. I'm still taking suggestions for future chapters, so comment your thoughts!
> 
> My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit! Feel free to leave comments or kudos. Enjoy!

Eren whimpered as he moisturized his face while getting ready for bed. His tooth had been hurting for weeks and despite everyone's pleas, he refused to do anything about it. He slid into bed where Levi was already awaiting him, pulling up the covers. 

Levi turned on his side, running his fingers through Eren's hair. "Angel, just go to the dentist already."

"I don't wanna," Eren pouted indignantly.

"But you're in a lot of pain, will you please make an appointment?"

"I don't need to go to the dentist. If I just wait it out, it'll stop hurting. It could be a fluke. Right?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "If it was a fluke, it wouldn't hurt for more than a day. Two days tops."

"Maybe tomorrow's my day."

Levi narrowed his eyes at him.

Eren sighed, defeated. "I'll be fine, I just need to be extra careful with—"

"I'm booking your appointment tomorrow."

 

~

 

Eren stared at Levi like a grumpy child, watching him get ready to go to work. "I can't believe you're making me go to that place all by myself."

Levi rushed to get his coffee ready, as he was already running late. "Angel face, I am not making you go alone. Your sister is taking you, you know that." Levi wanted to accompany his boyfriend, but he couldn't. He took off the day before, since Eren stayed home because the ache was so bad, and he couldn't cancel more appointments. It would be chaos. 

"I want you to come!"

"Eren, are you scared of the dentist?"

Eren went silent for far too long to be taken seriously. "... Of course not."

Levi turned to look at him, feeling sorry for him. "I'm sorry I can't go with you, I'd go if I could. But there's no reason to be scared—"

"I'm not scared! I just don't like it when she jabs stuff in my mouth, makes me bleed and then says it's my fault because I don't floss!"

"Do you floss?"

"Levi!"

"I'm sorry, baby doll." Levi gave him a kiss on the cheek, careful to not get the one in pain. "Everything will be okay, I'll make sure to treat you when I get home." He ran a hand up Eren's thigh. "We can do anything you want, but only if you go and be good for your sister."

"You're talking to me like I'm a kid."

"And you're acting like one." Levi kissed the tip of his nose. "It'll be alright, and your tooth will be all better after you go, so you're not going just to get your gums scratched."

Levi finished making his coffee and hurried on his way. "I have to go. I love you, be good." He waited at the entrance, with the door ajar.

"... Love you too," Eren muttered bitterly.

 

~

 

Of course, Levi knew Eren would be perfectly fine. He was a grown man and going to the dentist wouldn't end in disfigurement or death like Eren suggested it might. 

After coming home, he started on dinner, waiting for his boyfriend to get back. Mikasa sent him numerous updates during the day, all promising that he was fine and doing well. Eren was throwing fits throughout the day of course, but she had a handle on him.

Levi put dinner in the oven then wandered into the living room to take a break, dropping himself onto the couch to wait. He considered turning on the television or perhaps the radio, but both ideas disappeared when his phone went off in his pocket.

He took out his phone, finding that he had several messages from Mikasa. Most of which were videos, the only text being the first message, simply saying 'you were missed today.' With that being the only context, Levi hoped he wouldn't feel too guilty for not being there after watching the videos.

Clicking on the first one, he watched it load on the screen and saw as Mikasa's phone started off pointed towards the ground then lifted up to show Eren in the dentist's chair, slumped and seeming off.

"Eren." Mikasa's voice came in the video. "Do you want to say you're sorry for threatening Dr. Brzenska?" 

Eren made an exaggerated shocked face, then in seconds seemed to be on the brink of tears. "I don't KNOW who that is!" He whined, the gauze in his mouth slurring his words.

Mikasa's chuckles could be heard off screen and Levi realized that Eren had to be given gas at some point to calm down. He watched eagerly, wondering what went on.

"Eren, she's your dentist. She's the nice lady that pulled your tooth so it won't hurt anymore."

"My tooth?" Eren squeaked.

"Yes, your tooth."

Eren sniffled, nodding to himself. "Sounds right."

Mikasa laughed again and Levi wished he could've been there to see it.

The dentist said some details about aftercare to Mikasa offscreen. "Thank you," Mikasa said. "Eren—"

"Wait! So it's gone?!" Eren gasped.

"What is?"

"My tooth!"

"Yeah, it's gone. But it was hurting you, so that's good—"

"And I didn't get to say goodbye!" Eren's eyes started to water as the realization hit him, and more of Mikasa's laughter followed before the video ended. 

Levi chuckled to himself, feeling only slightly less guilty for not being able to be there. He clicked on the next video. This time, the two siblings were in the car and as Mikasa angled the camera to get Eren sitting in the back, Levi caught a glimpse of Carla in the drivers seat. He hoped that she was there by choice and not because Eren was too big of a hassle for Mikasa to deal with on her own. 

"Eren, repeat what you just said," Mikasa requested. 

Eren looked at her confusedly. "Why?"

"Just do it please."

"'Said you deserve a boyfriend who treats you right!"

This time, Carla was the one laughing out of the shot. Eren faced his mother. "She is!" He shouted, desperately trying to convince her.

"I believe you, sweetie," Carla giggled.

"No. But... but, no. You don't understand! Like... Mikasa is the only best. Like the only best one, and she needs a guy like... you know?"

"Sure," Carla agreed.

"But you don't know! Mikasa knows! Right?"

The phone started to shake as Mikasa found it hard to stifle her laughter anymore. "Oh, I know."

The video came to its end and Levi immediately clicked on the next one, where Eren seemed to be sliding down in his seat, getting tangled in his seat belt. That one didn't last for long, as all it was was Carla telling Mikasa to help her brother get back up to a safe position. 

In the one after that, Eren was back in his seat, looking disappointedly out the window. 

"Eren, you're gonna be home soon, it's okay."

"How soon?" 

"Real soon. Levi's probably home by now, and he's there waiting for you."

"... Levi?" Eren perked up, looking excited.

"Yes, he lives with you. Remember?"

Eren started nodding and within a few short seconds, he started bawling uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Carla asked. "You're going home to Levi."

"He doesn't know I love him!" Eren shouted indignantly. 

"Of course he does," Mikasa argued. "You live with him. You've been together for so long—"

"No. He doesn't know," Eren cried. "I tell him I love him but he never says he knows!"

Levi couldn't help but feel his heart melt for this mess. It was just a ridiculous notion that made absolutely no sense, it was just too funny to him. Of course he didn't say "I know," he always said "I love you" back. Levi knew very well that Eren loved him.

"I promise you, he knows," Mikasa said.

"But he doesn't! Levi's always so nice to me, and he's too smart, and he makes the best dinner, and I love him and he doesn't know! What do I do?"

"Eren, sweetie, he knows. Trust me," Carla assured him.

"But he doesn't..." Eren whined.

The video ended and Levi didn't click on the next one. He just tried to text Mikasa to tell Eren that he knew he loved him, because as funny as it was to watch, he felt bad that in this state, Eren was so upset over it.

He was about to watch and enjoy the next video, but he heard a knock at the door, and so he got up to answer it.

Eren was now home, being helped inside by his mother and sister. "Levi?" Eren said, gauze still messing up his language. 

"Hey, angel. How're you feeling?" Levi greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, leading him inside and guiding him over to the couch. 

"I want croutons," Eren mumbled.

"Croutons are too hard for you right now, but I'm making dinner. It'll be ready soon." Levi gave him another kiss, then turned to face his family. "Thank you so much for taking him."

"It was nothing," Mikasa said. "Although he did get so scared on the way there, so we picked up our mother to calm him down."

Carla chuckled. "I always had to hold his hand whenever I took him to the dentist."

Levi nodded, assuming that he'd always been like this. "Well, thanks again for taking him."

Everyone said their goodbyes and soon Levi and Eren were left to themselves. Levi continued to work on their dinner, listening to Eren make comments every five seconds while he watched the television. He was glad his tooth wouldn't give him anymore troubles and also glad he got some good footage out of this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi consider the idea of starting a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a couple years after they've been married. ALSO, I think it's just fair to warn you, if you plan on watching the show Friends and if you don't know much about it, there is a spoiler in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

With an afternoon free from appointments, Levi and Petra spent their time doing what anyone else with their occupation would do. Giving each other tattoos and watching Netflix on Hanji's laptop. 

Petra had been wanting a scarab on her calf for the longest time, and now that they had an opening, she saw fit to get it then. She rested her chin on her forearm, scrolling through the selections on the screen. "What do you wanna watch next?"

"It's up to you, I'm just listening." Levi couldn't give much attention to the computer while he was tattooing. 

"I'm gonna look through the documentaries," Petra decided. She would've preferred to watch horror films, but considering their activities, it would be in her best interest to avoid jump scares. "How's Eren?"

"He's good. Got a lot of work coming up with a shit ton of weddings."

"Highly requested, is he?"

"Too requested, he's barely got any days off this month."

"That sucks." Petra kept scrolling through her options before settling on a documentary about Antarctica. "Oo, I wanna watch the polar bears."

"You know it's probably gonna show footage of them killing something or starving, right?"

"You're such a killjoy," Petra muttered.

"It's a gift."

They continued in silence, the sounds of the tattoo machine and documentary being the only noises surrounding them. Petra had always been easy to tattoo, not giving much of a fuss, and the experience was almost relaxing for both.

Petra paid close attention to the documentary as it reached its section on penguins. She found them funny and they reminded her of a certain coworker. "Levi, this penguin looks just like you, it's uncanny."

"How's that possible? We're not even the same species." Levi paused his work to check the laptop screen.

"It walks like it's got somewhere to be and makes these small little grunts like its grumpy. It's literally you," Petra laughed. She watched Levi's face turn sour, then turned her attention back to the screen. "Oh look! That's so cute!"

The penguin had reached its mate, standing close, and Levi rolled his eyes, getting back to his job. 

"Levi, it's Eren! Look!"

"There is no resemblance between us and flightless birds."

Petra had too much fun teasing Levi to let it go. "You're practically identical. You're short, you're dressed in black, you shuffle everywhere when you're mad... he could be your brother."

"You're being ridiculous." Levi frowned at her, even though she couldn't see it.

Petra chuckled to herself, still watching the birds on screen. She got excited seeing the penguins with their eggs, knowing their offspring would appear soon. "Levi, you have a child!"

"Jesus, Petra. We don't look alike," Levi sighed, frustratedly trying to finish the tattoo.

The imagery of the next scene got her thinking and it surprised her that the topic never came up before. She didn't even think about it before. "Hey, Levi?"

"Mn?"

"Have you and Eren ever thought about having kids?"

"Will you give it a rest? We don't look like fucking penguins—"

"No, no!" Petra interrupted him, giggling. "I mean you two, as people. Have you thought about it?"

Levi paused his work, the subject catching him off guard. "... Why do you need to know? What does it matter?"

Levi's tone worried Petra, she hadn't meant to ask in a prodding way. "I'm just asking, it's a simple yes or no question. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't, I'm just wondering."

"... No. I guess we haven't thought about it," Levi replied quietly, continuing with the tattoo.

Petra nodded. "Okay. Do you want kids?"

Levi didn't like all these sudden questions and he didn't know why he got so worked up about it. "I don't know..."

Petra decided to let the conversation drop after noticing how unsettled Levi was. If Levi ever wanted to discuss the topic again, he'd bring it up on his own. But for now, she left him alone.

 

~

 

Eren was getting better at making dishes and was currently occupying himself with making dinner for the two of them, insisting that he could do it all by himself this time. Levi was busy flipping through channels, struggling to find something that would calm his anxiety that had been shot through the roof for a good portion of the day. 

Eren came into the living room with plates of food, setting them down on the coffee table. Levi looked at the food questioningly. "We're not eating in the dining room?"

"You just looked so invested in the television, I thought I'd bring dinner out here," Eren explained, picking up his own plate.

Levi changed the channel again. "Oh..." 

"So, how was work?"

Levi grimaced at the commercial advertising bandaids with children running and playing before skipping through the channels again. "Fine. How was your day?"

"It was alright, had a flood of customers, but I guess that's a good thing. Glad to be home, though." Eren grinned at Levi, taking a bite of his food.

"Yeah, me too..." Levi said absentmindedly, hitting a button on the remote after immediately after seeing a crying baby on the screen. It was like the universe was mocking him. 

Eren eyed Levi worriedly. "Are you going to eat your dinner?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just trying to find something good for background noise." Levi kept searching and finally found something he was willing to watch, sitting back and taking his plate onto his lap.

"Oh, Friends! I love this show!" Eren exclaimed. "I think this is the one when Rachel has her baby!"

Levi shut off the television and dug into his food. "We don't need background noise."

Eren wondered why his husband was acting so strangely. "Is something wrong?"

Levi shrugged. "Everything's fine. Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

"You seem bothered."

"I'm not bothered. Why would I be bothered?"

"Levi—"

"Work was just a little stressful, but I'm fine."

"I thought you said work went alright."

"Then... I must've forgotten that I was stressed." Levi took a bite of food, trying to avoid the topic. "This is really good. Is there paprika in this?"

Eren stared back at a loss for words. 

Levi knew he must've seemed insane with how odd he was acting, but the subject distressing him wasn't one he was ready to discuss.

"Um... no, there isn't," Eren finally answered. "What was stressful?"

"I have to work on commissions." Levi got up, taking his dinner with him. "It'll probably take awhile. Dinner's great, by the way." He left, as soon as he could, hurrying upstairs. 

Eren stared in his wake, utterly baffled.

 

~

 

"He was just acting really weird, I can't explain it," Eren relayed to Sasha during their break. "He was fiddling with the television all strange, at first said work went well, then he said it stressed him out but he forgot, then he left saying he had work to do and overall he just seemed agitated. I tried to get him to talk about it before we went to bed, but he insisted he was exhausted and went straight to sleep."

Sasha shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing. Maybe he just had a long day at work and he didn't want to talk about it."

Eren looked down at the table they were sat at in thought. "No, I can tell when something is bothering him. And you know I don't want to bring up what I've been meaning to ask him when he's stressed out."

"Good point. It's a big step in your relationship. There aren't many of those when you're already married." 

Sasha was right. After their marriage, there wasn't much left that was a big life change. Eren had wanted to discuss the subject alone with Levi, but considering how he was acting lately, it seemed to be best to put it off.

Sasha could see how concerned Eren became. "Hey." She set her hand on top of his. "You'll find a time to talk about it. Don't worry."

Eren tried to remain hopeful. "What if he doesn't feel the same about it? What if he wants different things?"

"Then you guys'll figure it out! You always do."

Eren nodded. "You're right. Thanks Sasha."

 

~

 

Hanji helped set up Levi's station at work, eyeing his clear signs of exhaustion. "What's up with you? You've been out of it for a week."

Levi groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

Petra walked in, setting her things down and jumping in the conversation. "Levi's bugging because he doesn't want kids and he's too big of a coward to express himself."

Levi shot a glare at his coworker.

"Is that true?" Hanji asked, pulling out the table. 

"No—"

"Yes," Petra interrupted, dropping herself in her chair. "Ever since I brought it up, he's been grumpier than usual."

"Levi, it's okay if you don't want kids. Why is it putting you in a sour mood?" Hanji sat down, ready for an extended conversation.

"I'm fine. It's fine. I just don't want to talk about it." Levi crossed his arms, avoiding eye contact with either coworker.

"We're your friends Levi, we can help you out." Petra said. "So, what's the big deal? Do you have a fear of children?"

"No," Levi scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"Then what is it?" Hanji insisted.

Levi sighed. He knew his friends would tell him that he was being over dramatic, but he gave in. "It's just... it's just that... I feel like Eren is the type of person that would want kids, and I don't want them at all. And I think that if I bring up the subject, then he'll say he wants them and I wouldn't know how to tell him that I'm more than fine without them."

"Have you two talked about it before?" Hanji asked. 

"No. And hopefully we never do."

"Well, I think you should still talk it out. Even if he does want them, you can say how you feel and you both could go from there."

Levi didn't want to risk it. He couldn't live with himself if he denied Eren a bigger family if he really wanted it. But he also couldn't live with the responsibility of kids. 

"Why don't you want children? Can you be persuaded in case Eren wants them?" Hanji continued.

"No," Levi said firmly. "Because if we adopted the kids as babies, then life would be hell. My job is too time consuming for that, they're messy as all hell, they never stop crying, and you can't leave them unattended. When they get older, they're still fucking loud, you have to watch their health more than yours, you have to worry about school and shit. And on top of that, it's your responsibility to make sure they grow up to be a halfway decent person and teach them how to be safe and god knows I can't do either of those things for myself, let alone a child who doesn't know shit. And quite frankly, knowing about all the assholes out there, I don't think I want to raise anyone in a world like this. And holy fuck, don't get me started on puberty..." He rubbed his temples, raising his stress just by thinking about it.

Petra nodded along. "You make a lot of good points."

"What about Isabel?" Hanji asked. "Were you this bitter when she was growing up?"

"That's different, she's my little sister. I did help raise her, but she wasn't my responsibility unless I was babysitting. She was our mom's responsibility."

There was a silence as they all tried to think of a way to approach the situation at hand. Well, Hanji and Petra were. Levi was trying to be rid of the subject entirely. 

 

~

 

Levi's mood had slightly improved since getting his worries off his chest, but he still felt cautious around Eren. Eren had figured that perhaps it really was nothing, and he made plans to bring up what he'd been meaning to ask Levi. He'd called Hanji and Petra, asking if anything was wrong at work or with Levi, and being good friends of his, they didn't tell him why Levi'd been so stressed. Eren told them he had something serious to discuss with his husband, a major life change, but he wasn't sure if it was the right time. Of course, Hanji and Petra saw this as the perfect chance for them to talk about what was bothering Levi, so they encouraged him.

Eren was calming himself down, or at least trying to after dinner one night. At the end of the day, he would love Levi, and be with him no matter what his answer was, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be a little disheartened if he said no. 

They washed the dishes together, Eren eyeing Levi discreetly, trying to force himself to just spit it out. "Hey, Levi?"

"Yeah?" Levi turned to look at him, setting aside a plate. 

"Um, I'd like to talk to you about something."

At his tone, Levi became concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Eren shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to ask you about something. I feel like it's time."

Levi was still apprehensive. "Alright, well if it's important, we should sit down for it I suppose." He finished the last dish he was on, leading Eren into the living room and sitting beside him on the couch.

Eren took a deep breath. "Okay, before you give me an answer, I need to ask you to be open minded and you don't have to decide right now. We have time to talk things over, so please don't say 'no' immediately."

Levi's heart started racing, he had a bad feeling of where this was going. 

"I know this isn't something you would probably want. For yourself or for us. But I've given it a lot of thought and I think we're ready for this."

"Eren...?" Levi inched away from him.

"Levi... I think it's time to start a family—"

"No, no, no!" Levi jumped up from the couch, frightening Eren. "Absolutely not, nope." At the look of his husband's devastated face, he lowered his volume and thought of a more appropriate way to respond. "Eren... angel, I don't mean to shut this down, but I've given this a lot of thought too and... I just can't. I'm so sorry, but I can't do it, it's just not something I'll ever be comfortable with or ready for."

Eren nodded solemnly. "I understand."

Levi sat back down with him, holding his hands, guilty for turning him down. "Angel, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just don't think raising kids is a good idea for us."

Eren look up at him with furrowed brows. "Who said anything about kids?"

Levi sat there, puzzled. "You mean... you weren't talking about having children?"

"Of course not, you think we'd be able to do that with our jobs?"

A wave of relief flowed over Levi. "But, wait. What did you mean by starting a family?"

"Levi, I wanna get a dog."

Levi stared back blankly. "A dog?"

"Yes, a dog. I understand if you don't want one, but could you at least give it some thought?"

Levi bit his lip. "Dogs are messy."

"I can clean up after it!"

"They take awhile to train."

"That's half the fun."

Levi didn't have much else to counter with. "I guess we can get a dog."

 

~

 

"I can't believe you were talking about getting a dog when you said told us about your potential 'major life change,'" Hanji said, holding the door of the local shelter open for the couple.

"Having a dog is a big responsibility!" Eren reasoned. "What did you think I was talking about?"

"... Unimportant." Hanji avoided the subject, unsure if the two had discussed it at all. 

The three went to the back, finding all the dogs in their own little areas, separated from each other. Some of them remained indifferent as the three entered, while some became rather excited. An employee came into the back just to be sure they were being respectful of the dogs and also came in to be there should the couple have any questions.

"See any one you really want?" Levi asked Eren, holding his hand.

"I want all of them."

"One at a time, sweetheart."

The two walked up to nearly every dog, Eren being delightedly overwhelmed by the excitable ones. Levi was more content with the calmer ones that were simply too lazy to cower away or come to greet them. But the both of them stopped at one dog that sat still but let its tail wag as they squatted down to greet it.

"Aw, that one's a cutie!" Hanji cooed from off to the side.

"That's Ellie," the employee spoke up. "She's three, we've had her for two years. She's really quiet, but she's a big sap."

"Sounds like you," Eren joked, nudging Levi shoulder. Levi rolled his eyes. Eren stuck his hand through the bars, reaching for the dog. "Hello! You're beautiful Ellie!"

The dog waddled over, sniffing his hand and sitting back down again. Eren started petting her and his heart immediately melted seeing how happy she was. "Aw, I love her!"

"She's a good dog," Levi agreed. "What breed is she?"

"We're not sure," the employee answered. "She's a mixed breed, that's all we know. We all have our guesses on what she could be and we've agreed that she's just adorable."

"That much was obvious," Levi mused. He really liked how at ease Ellie was and how she didn't seem to have a personality too obnoxious for him. He looked over at his husband, still caught up in giving all his attention to the loving mutt. Eren looked back at him with pleading eyes, and without any words needing to be spoken, their decision was made. This would definitely be a great way to start a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this chapter, I hope you guys liked it to!
> 
> If you did like it, please leave a comment or kudos. I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit. My tumblrs are dr-s--art, the-witch-daddy and extraeren. Thanks for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in the middle of chapter 20. Yikes, it's been a minute since I updated. I didn't plan on doing more when I marked this completed, but I got the motivation out of nowhere and cranked this out in a couple hours. It's not great, I've been out of the groove for this au, but hey whatever right?
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren tossed the last makeup wipe he used into the trash and turned to Levi. "Are your hands clean?"

Levi studied his hands. "Should be." He reached for Eren's makeup only to be stopped.

"Absolutely not, go wash your hands. It's unhygienic."

Levi groaned exaggeratedly and shuffled out of the room to wash his hands. Returning shortly after, he sat in front of Eren and looked over his collection. 

"Stop being so childish," Eren laughed. "You're a tattoo artist, you should know how important it is to keep everything clean."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but this isn't being stabbed into your skin, it's on the surface... I mean, unless I do your eyeliner hard enough."

"First off, no. You are not applying ANY of this with force. Second, it IS going near or on my eye, and I don't want an infection."

Levi snorted. "Fine." He scanned Eren's makeup, trying to think of the right order. "What do I start with?"

"That's for you to decide. You're the artist today."

Levi had watched Eren do his makeup on countless occasions, so he had the basic idea of how to do it. It was only the order that was escaping him. 

"Babe, how would you start one of your paintings?"

"... I'd prime the canvas?" Levi answered without much confidence.

"That's right!"

"So... I use primer?"

"Yeah!"

Levi nodded to himself. "Right..." He grabbed the first thing he saw that had the word 'primer' on it. "So, I use this?"

"You tell me, what does it say?"

"... Eye shadow primer?"

"So, where do you think that goes?"

"But I don't want to start with the eyes! I wanna start on the face!"

"Then find the face primer," Eren giggled.

"Ugh, you have so much makeup, how am I gonna get through this?" Levi sifted through all the tubes and palettes. "This one looks legit." He grabbed a tube and opened it. He stared at the opening for a minute and guessed that he should just squeeze it out, meanwhile, Eren was stifling his laughter at his confusion. He squeezed gently, unsure of how fast it would come out and widened his eyes when it came out a little too fast. "... Did your makeup just jizz on my hand?"

Eren erupted in a cackle, nodding. 

Levi grimaced at the texture and brought his hand up to Eren's face. "Am I doing this right?"

"I don't know," Eren said grinning.

"You're not gonna help me at all?"

Eren shook his head. "Nope."

Levi huffed and started smearing the primer onto a giggly Eren. "It's cold and gross," he mumbled. It felt awkward smoothing it over Eren's face, but it settled in nicely. "Okay, now foundation?"

"Very good."

Levi found Eren's shade and poured some on the back of his hand, grabbing a brush. "I know how to do this part, I've seen you do it on your clients." He dabbed at the color and started applying it to his boyfriend's face. "Um..."

"What?"

"I lied, I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're doing it right!" Eren encouraged him. "What's the matter?"

Levi stroked the brush downward. "It's thicker than I thought. How do I get it on evenly?"

"You blend it out."

"How do I blend it?!"

Through trial and error, Levi had smoothed out all the foundation over Eren's face, and it didn't look half bad. "Okay, now concealer, even though you don't need it because you're perfect."

"Aww, you're too sweet... I'm surprised you're doing so well, you're a little sketchy on application, but you know what everything is for and you know the steps."

"Doll, that offends me. I pay attention to what you love," Levi said as he applied the concealer. "It's important to you, so I watch whenever I get a chance."

"You're perfect," Eren beamed.

"Nah, I wouldn't say that."

"And the same goes to you, I pay attention to what you're passionate about."

Levi grinned. "Thanks, baby."

"So, I've watched you do tattoos hundreds of times, so would you let me try out your medium on you? Something small?"

Levi sat back, smiling uncontrollably, then leaning in for a peck on the lips. "No."

Eren chuckled, "that's fair."

Levi moved on to setting powder. "This is easy, I could be a makeup artist." He loaded a brush with powder.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Levi did one swipe of the powder and paused, widening his eyes. "Oh. Oh no."

Eren stared back. "What did you do?"

Levi continued to 'blend' it out. "Maybe it's really pigmented— oh no. I made a mistake. I chose wrong." He inspected the powder container more closely. "Powdered contour— OH NO. Ahh, I did it wrong!"

"What was that you were saying? About how you could be a makeup artist?" Eren laughed.

"Shhh!" Levi took a tissue and tried wiping it off. "Shhhhh!"

"What was that about this being easy—"

"SHHHH."

 

~

 

Levi somehow made it through powder, saving the contour, highlight and blush for later, too traumatized to get it over with. He easily got through using eyeshadow primer and halted at the eyeshadow. "I don't know what color I want to use."

"Use any color you like!"

"I like black."

"Then use black."

"But you don't like black."

"But you're the artist today."

"You like... pink." Levi searched through four palettes before he found a pink. "This one's bright."

"That's blush."

"Stop! You're not supposed to help me!"

"Oh, now you don't want my help?"

"No! I'm the artist!" Levi focused on putting on the eyeshadow. "Close your eyes, angel. I got this." Putting on the eyeshadow was much easier than he anticipated. "Oh shit, I missed a step!"

Eren opened his eyes. "What step?"

Levi locked eyes with him while he reloaded the brush with pigment. He then started knocking the brush against Eren's desk. "I always hear you doing this while you're getting ready." He kept knocking the brush, a little louder now. "Tap, tap, tap..."

Eren chuckled. "And do you know why I do that?"

"To scare the devil out of it?" Levi joked.

"No, it gets rid of some of the fallout, so the extra color doesn't fall on my cheeks."

"But if you're using pink, the blush will already be there." Levi went back to applying the makeup.

"Sweetie, that's not how it works."

"Today, it is... now I want yellow."

"Then use yellow."

"I will." Levi dug around to find the perfect shade. "I need yellow because you are my sunshine."

"Aww," Eren cooed. "You're the sweetest makeup artist."

"I try." He dotted the yellow on the inner corners of Eren's eye, having seen him do a similar technique several times. "Open your eyes." Levi'd face fell.

Eren burst out into laughter.

"What?"

"I just saw all the life drain from your face when I opened my eyes! What did you do?"

"It doesn't look like how you do it! Close your eyes!" Levi added several more colors, trying to imitate Eren's cut-crease look that he often did, using a blue and added green under the eye, which was a mess. "Makeup is hard."

"Indeed."

"Now... eyeliner?"

"Uh huh."

"... Liquid?"

"Are you brave?"

"... I'm not a pussy," Levi decided. "I gotta use every makeup technique, it's go big or go home."

"Can't wait to see how I look after you beat my face."

Levi gawked at Eren, putting his hands in his shoulders. "Angel, I would never do that to you."

Eren furrowed his brows for a moment then started laughing. 

"Eren, I'm serious, I wouldn't do that!"

"Levi," Eren wheezed. "You... you don't get it," he tried to say through his laughter. "That's a phrase in the makeup community. When you're makeup is all done, you're 'beat.' You say 'I'm beating my face,' and that means you're doing your makeup."

Levi frowned. "Wha- is makeup a blood sport or something?"

Still in a fit of laughter, Eren nodded. "Something like that."

 

~

 

Levi took longer than necessary applying the liquid eyeliner, trying to get it even and straight. He almost didn't bother putting eyeliner in his waterline, terrified he'd blind his precious boyfriend, but Eren bullied him into doing that too, his vision in tact by the end of it.

"What's next after eyeliner?" Eren asked.

"Ha! That's cute, you think I'm done with the eyeliner." Levi collected every vibrant color Eren had and lined them up. "I am nothing if not an artist, so I'm gonna throw some of my flair into this look. Now stay really still."

Levi used as many colors as he could, knowing Eren to be a fan of the rainbow. He drew a multicolored rose on the outer corner of Eren's right eye and a vivid sun and moon on the inner corners of his eyes. He knew Eren would enjoy it, and considering his tattooing background, it was the easiest part of the makeup so far. 

"Now, mascara," Levi said to himself. "I'm scared."

"Me too," Eren agreed. "Should I do this part?"

"No, we've come this far. I'm not backing out now." Levi opened a tube of mascara. "Open up."

"Oh god, don't say it like that!"

Levi shivered. "I know, I heard it as soon as it came out of my mouth, just... open your eyes and look down." He readied his hand, the mascara wand mere centimeters from Eren's lashes. "I am not strong enough."

"Yes, you are. Play like a champion."

"Shit, you're right." Levi delicately applied the mascara, not getting it close enough to the base out of fear of poking Eren's eyes. "I am so sorry, I will never do your makeup again."

"Never?"

"Never, dear. I love you too much."

"Is this a bad thing?"

"Honey, if you looked in the mirror, you'd see that this is borderline abuse."

"I'm scared."

"You should be."

Levi finished with the mascara and filled in Eren's brows. That part went pretty smoothly, Levi felt that it was just like coloring inside the lines. Levi then went on to the lips. "I'm gonna use your Kat Von D makeup, she's a tattoo artist, she understands my struggles." He picked up the lip liners and studied the names. "I'll use 'sexer' because you're sexy."

"I like how you just picked it for the name."

"Of course, that's the fun part." Levi excelled at this step as well, just outlining Eren's lips. Lipstick was just as easy in his opinion. "I think I'm gonna choose everything else by name. Where's your glitter?"

Eren tapped the case, which was a mistake. Levi went overboard (by his own standards) with the glitter. Eren was in no complaining mood, ever the glitter fan that he was. Levi added all different shades of glitter to his eyes and even some on his lips. 

"Now, for the rouge..." Levi weighed out the options. "Gotta go by the name... I'm gonna use one by Wet n' Wild, because our sex is wet and—"

"Levi!"

"Sorry..." He picked his favorite name. "I'll use 'dare to soar' because you make my heart soar."

"How do you go from the dirtiest shit possible to cheesy lines like that?"

"It's all in the names," Levi sighed, dipping a big brush into the blush. He pounced the bristles along Eren's cheek bones, hoping he was doing it right. "You're gonna look like you got either the biggest compliment or the dirtiest comment from off the street, this is so pink."

"Oh boy."

"Don't worry, I'll blend it out. You know, like the professionals do."

"Are you saying you're not a professional?" 

"I'm a trainee, learning from the master."

"Aw."

Levi struggled through the contour, cursing all the way through. He piled on highlighter, trying to imitate Eren's usual look and when it came to false lashes, they both had their reservations, but eventually, they made their way sort of where they needed to be. 

"Voila, look in the mirror!" Levi announced.

Eren turned and was pleasantly surprised when he saw his reflection. "Oh my god..." he breathed. "Levi, that's really good! The lashes and the contour could use a little work but that's not bad! I love the little drawings you did!"

Levi sat back, folding his hands behind his head. "What can I say? I'm a professional makeup artist, it's all in a day's work." 

"I'm really impressed!" Eren stared in awe.

Levi took out his phone. "A deal's a deal, I want pictures."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't up to par, but it felt good to come back to this au!
> 
> I'm sorry for any errors, I don't edit.
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos! My tumblrs are dr-s--art and the-witch-daddy. Thanks for reading!


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